Cars made by German-owned manufacturers are the most satisfying, according to a survey of more than 15,000 motorists.

German vehicles took seven of the top 10 places in a customer satisfaction table compiled by What Car? and marketing information services company JD Power.

Volkswagen took the top two places, with the Volkswagen Up hatchback first and the Golf Plus in second. Skoda, which is part of the Volkswagen Group, was third with its Yeti model.

Fourth was the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, with the Volkswagen Scirocco fifth and the Volkswagen Tiguan sixth.

Compiled earlier this year, the results were based on customer satisfaction with models registered between January 2011 and December 2012.

Owners were asked to judge their vehicle on a number of criteria including vehicle appeal, upkeep costs and dealer service quality.

A total of 109 vehicles were assessed, with the lowest marks going to the Chevrolet Spark, the Alfa Romeo Mito and the Citroen C3.

In a table assessing manufacturers rather than individual models, the equal-top companies were Jaguar and Lexus, with Mercedes-Benz third, Skoda fourth and Volkswagen fifth.

What Car? editor Jim Holder said: "The Volkswagen Group deserves special congratulations.

"It is clearly building cars that have showroom appeal and, even more importantly, deliver in real life. Cars that perform in customer satisfaction surveys are a great recommendation for car buyers and act as a great barometer to a car's quality."